The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM) has demanded the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over allegations surrounding AI-generated images in the preliminary voters’ register, warning that the alleged manipulation of Nigeria’s electoral database could trigger a serious national crisis and create an avoidable recipe for civil war in January 2027.
COPDEM described the allegations as an alarming threat to Nigeria’s democratic stability, insisting that any deliberate manipulation of the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections could undermine public confidence, provoke widespread political tension and threaten national peace.
The organisation expressed particular concern over allegations of AI-generated photographs, fictitious voter identities, multiple duplications of voters’ details and suspicious redistribution of registered voters across polling units, local government areas and states.
According to COPDEM, the voters’ register is the foundation of electoral credibility, and any attempt to compromise its integrity amounts to an assault on the constitutional right of Nigerians to freely elect their leaders.
The organisation warned that Nigeria is already facing significant political, economic and security challenges and cannot afford an electoral process that creates further grounds for distrust, confrontation and instability.
COPDEM cautioned that the alleged AI manipulation of the voters’ register is an avoidable recipe for a civil war outbreak in January 2027 if the issues are not urgently addressed. It stressed that no election is worth the destruction of Nigeria’s peace and national unity.
The organisation therefore called for:
* The immediate removal of the INEC Chairman, subject to the appropriate constitutional process and accountability for any established wrongdoing.
* An independent forensic investigation into allegations of AI-generated photographs and fictitious voter identities.
* A comprehensive audit of the national voters’ register across all 36 states and the FCT.
* Full disclosure of duplicated, deleted, hidden or suspiciously transferred voter records.
* Public accountability for any INEC officials found culpable of electoral manipulation.
* Adequate safeguards to guarantee that every eligible Nigerian can vote and that every valid vote counts in 2027.
COPDEM insisted that Nigerians must not be pushed into a situation where electoral manipulation becomes a trigger for avoidable national conflict.
It further warned that the responsibility for preventing electoral violence rests heavily on INEC and other institutions entrusted with protecting Nigeria’s democracy.
The organisation maintained that the 2027 presidential election must not be compromised through technological manipulation, administrative misconduct or the creation of fictitious voting populations.
COPDEM’s message is clear: Nigeria must not be allowed to sleepwalk into a preventable national crisis because of an electoral process that should guarantee peace, justice and democratic legitimacy.
The allegations require urgent independent verification. The warning about possible civil conflict reflects COPDEM’s stated concern and should not be interpreted as evidence that civil war is inevitable.
